[rob76turbo]

If my car sits for more than two days, the battery is dead and I have to jump it to start it. Any ideas of common electrical gremlins that cause the battery to discharge? BTW, I just installed a new voltage regulator yesterday, but have not had a chace to determine if that was the problem yet as I started the car yesterday and today without issues. But cold weather is on the way and that seems to make it worse.

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[flash]

look at the pin switches - they are known to stick and leave a circuit engaged



load check the battery - they fail, and rather abruptly - i just had a 2 year old battery do that on me

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[xrad]

Yes..our cars are known for nocturnal emissions...I gave up trying to find the culprit and now unhook the battery. I am considering a high amp remote switch placed int he cabin, to make life easier.

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[rob76turbo]

Flash, where are the pin switches located? Sorry, I am not an electrical guru (farrrrrr from it!!). So electrical gremlins leave me a bit nervous!

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[flash]

both doors, glove box, hood latch, tailgate or boot lid - the glove box is a common culprit - make sure the light isn't on in there, and that it works



more than likely you have a bad battery or a bad main ground - remove and clean those - visual inspection alone does not always turn up the corrosion underneath

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[rob76turbo]

Glove box light was staying on when the glove box door was shut. Good call!!! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[DaveN]

The other one to watch out for is the bonnet light. The PO had it disconnected so I reconnected it not knowing, thought the bulb was just burned out. Then I saw the strange light that day and if I peeked real hard at the front bonnet gap I could see light! I took the switch apart and adjusted the latch fitment to make sure the light went out after closing the lid.

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[flash]

good deal! glad i could help



i'd still check and clean those grounds

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[jpk]

I'd like to add one other thing - since many of our 968's are "occasional drivers" and will often sit for days (or in the case of many of us in the snowbelt - weeks) between driving, use a battery maintainer. Any parts store will carry an automatic trickle charger or you can find them online. Most are very simple to use and will have an adapter that plugs into the cigarette lighter; just plug it in and forget it.

Not only will this aleviate any starting problems caused by a weak battery, but it will GREATLY extend the service life of the battery itself - my truck often sits unused for a week at a time, but it's going on 10 years with the original battery. I'd say I've payed for the $20 battery maintainer 6 times over by now just in battery replacements (or lack thereof).

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[Ryan]

Or just pull the ground off the battery if you intend to leave it for a couple weeks. This is what I do now. Both my cars suck batteries. Batteries can go a long time without any load on them.

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[flash]

not so fun for me - the deck takes 15 minutes to program every time i do that

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[94SilverCab]

[quote name='flash' post='65138' date='Jan 5 2009, 04:50 PM']not so fun for me - the deck takes 15 minutes to program every time i do that[/quote]





Maybe you should get rid of the 8-track and get a cassette.... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Hee Hee, I just kill myself...



sorry , back to your conversation

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[flash]

lol - yeah - i was poking fun at myself too - clearly the system is complicated and i buried myself in that hole

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[biotechee]

CTEK 3300 or 7000 battery charger/maintainer will fix that problem. They can come with a "permanent" ring connector cable which you can leave on the battery at all times. The other end is a "polarized" plug which connects to the cable of the charger. Just plug everything together and keep your battery charged when you're not driving the car.



I don't have one yet, but I will be getting one in the very near future (along with a new battery). My car sits for most of the Winter so I need to maintain the battery for when I do need to circulate the fluids...

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[jpk]

Search for "battery maintainer" at amazon and you'll find a bunch of choices, including a genuine Porsche for $55



I found these for $20 at my local Lowes a few years ago and bought 3:



http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/stores...catalogId=10101



It comes with ring connectors for permanent installation, a lighter adapter and regular clips. 1 amp and 2 amp modes, and it cycles on/off as necessary.



One is permanantly wired in my truck (replaced an older schumacher), I use one in the Porsche with the cigarette lighter adapter, and I use the 3rd to maintain a deep cycle and 2 lawn mower batteries on my workbench (just hook all three up in paralell)

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[Larry Currie]

I got a Porsche tickle charger several years ago and it works well. A week and mine battery is dead unless I use the charger.

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[biotechee]

Hmmm Larry- A tickle charger and that picture in your signature?! Your mind, good sir, is in the gutter!!! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Anchorman]

I guess my car must be different in some (good!) way. For the last 16 days, it was sitting outdoors, under a cover, because of two snow storms and generally lousy, frigidly cold, winter weather. Today is like a taste of spring, so I removed the cover and attempted to start the car. Actually, though, I didn't have to "attempt" - it turned over and started like it had just been run yesterday. Took it for a little spin - smiled a bit - and parked it. So, I can only suggest that those that experience two-day battery deaths have electrical drains that shouldn't have to be tolerated. (Note - this is not a new battery, either.)

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[DaveN]

I use a cheap and dirty method. I use a 12vdc power brick that pushes 14+v unloaded at 200ma. The car draws just enough to stay charged with this hooked up 24/7. I had a timer on it to kick in 4 hours a day but it didn't seem to be near enough. I checked my Fluke every day and it never gets anywhere near 13.5 volts so all is good.

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[Anchorman]

I just went out to start my 968 after having left it - again - for 16 days sitting under a Griot's cover in the NJ winter. I was delighted that it turned over easily, and started on the first try. It can happen, folks, so if you're seeing the battery go dead in just a few days, you definitely have some unintended electrical drain.

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